FDI and Prime Minister Trudeau

December 7, 2016

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In mid-November, the Republic of Peru hosted the 27th annual Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Lima. APEC is the premier economic forum for the 21 member Asia-Pacific economies, with the goal to support sustainable economic growth and prosperity in the region. Adam Peabody, Investment Attraction and Growth Specialist at Ignite Fredericton, was on-hand at the summit to brand Canada and Fredericton as a world-class competitive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) as part of Global Vision’s Junior Team Canada (JTC) program.

Global Vision is a national Canadian charitable organization that provides leadership and entrepreneurship programming to youth aged 16 to 25 years. Founded in 1991 by former Member of Parliament, Terrence Clifford C.M., Global Vision’s JTC program has organized trade missions promoting Canadian industry and culture in over 30 countries. APEC 2016 marked the tenth consecutive year that the Government of Canada has called upon Global Vision to leverage the JTC program to promote inbound foreign direct investment to Canada at the APEC Summit.

During the summit, Peabody had the opportunity to discuss Fredericton's digital product development living lab with the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Prime Minister Trudeau agreed that Fredericton's research and development assets, particularly in smart grid, biotech, and cyber-security, should be leveraged to encourage international investment and that this strategy complements the Government of Canada's innovation agenda.

“Fredericton has been developing drastically over the past few years, and this was an excellent opportunity to draw attention to our accomplishments,” said Peabody of the event. “As a community, we have a lot to offer nationally and globally; it’s important that we have federal and international partners that understand this and help us to promote local opportunities to investors beyond our borders.”

Peabody’s primary mission in Lima was to brand Fredericton in meetings with executives from some of the world's largest corporations. Discussions focused on the potential that Fredericton holds for their investment agendas. Meetings were held with firms from the Agriculture, Engineering, Technology, Mining, and Natural Resources sectors.

“With recent investments made by firms like Siemens, Raytheon, and SyncDog, Fredericton has already proven it can compete for FDI on a global scale” said Peabody. “APEC offered an opportunity to further our brand awareness amongst targeted CEOs and government leaders across the Asia-Pacific.”

Peabody is now working to translate those conversations into tangible investment projects in the Fredericton region in order to spur job creation and economic development.

Events like APEC are excellent for showcasing Fredericton’s remarkable value proposition. Our region offers many opportunities for people in Canada and beyond. Learn more about foreign direct investment at https://fdi.ignitefredericton.com/!